Music of Colombia

Colombia is a country which stands with its one leg on Pacific and the other on Caribbean, so it is not surprising that it shows a diversity in musical expression. Colombia also known as "The land of a thousand rhythms" holds over 1,025 folk rhythms. Colombia has traditionally been known for cumbia, a musical style popular in the coastal areas, and vallenato which is more popular in the valleys of eastern Colombia. During the 1970s, Colombians went insane for salsa, yet the man who was generally responsible for making Colombia's salsa genre hit was Julio Ernesto Estrada Rincon, known as "Fruko", who with his band, Fruko y los Tesos, started warming up the roads of the urban coast. Soon after, Fruko y los Tesos hit the major laegue and started a worldwide tour, gathering fans from their home in Columbia to Spain.

Another artist of note, Colombia's most famous salsero, Alvaro Jose "Joe" Arroyo won Cali's "Congo del Oro" prize so often that they made a special "Super-Congo" award just for him; his style and danceable tracks earned him a seat at the legendary table. Some other genre includes Cumbia,Vallenato, Bambuco, Porro, Champeta, Joropo, Pasillo, Currulao, Bullerengue, Colombian rock, Tropipopand and Mapalé.

Today there's another wave of new Colombian artists that are setting the Latin pop scene on fire, drove by Latin pop hotshot Shakira and Juanes. Shakira, who burst on the scene in the late 1990s and mid-2000s, re-defined the world's expectation for Columbian artists. With such huge hits as "Hips Don't Lie" and "Whenever, Wherever," Shakira surprised the audiences worldwide with an extraordinary mix of Spanish and English lyrics and styles.